Dennis Kay Rose, a crawler tractor operator, age 47, was fatally
injured on January 11, 1996 while being trained to operate a
front-end loader. Rose had five months of mining experience, all
at this mine. He had been training on the loader for
approximately eight hours.

Garry Day, MSHA Western District Assistant Manager, was notified
of the accident, on January 11, by Richard L. Fisher, accounting
manager for R.J. Taggart Construction Company. An investigation
began the following day.

The accident occurred at Taggart Portable Crusher No. 1, owned
and operated by R.J. Taggart Construction Company, Incorporated.
The mine was a multiple bench crushed stone operation
located one mile south of Prineville, Crook County, Oregon. The
mine operated one 10-hour shift, four days a week. A total of
five employees worked at the minesite.

The principal operating officials were;

Robert J. Taggart, owner
Donald (Dick) Newsom, superintendent.

The last MSHA inspection was completed on July 7, 1995.

PHYSICAL FACTORS INVOLVED

The diesel powered, articulated front-end loader involved in the
accident was a Caterpillar 980-B, serial number 89P2466. It was
equipped with a roll over protective structure and a partially
enclosed operator's compartment, the left door had been removed.
A small deck, measuring about one foot in width, and a handrail
were attached to the cab. The deck was located about 11
inches below the cab's doorway and 72 inches above the ground.
The front-end loader's steering and braking systems were in good
operating condition. Mine records indicated no equipment
defects.

The slightly inclined roadway between the feed hopper and
material stockpile, a distance of approximately 135 feet,was dry
and fairly uniform from side to side. The uphill grade at the
base of the stockpile increased slightly, making it difficult to
dig with a loader bucket.

The roadway, at the time of the investigation, was clear with the
exception of a lone boulder which measured 19 inches in diameter.
The boulder was found a few feet in front of the loader and was
covered with rubber tire scuff marks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT

Dennis Rose arrived at the mine at 6:50 a.m., January 11, 1996.
He immediately went to the D8K dozer, his regularly assigned
piece of equipment. He started the engine and conducted his
normal pre-shift duties. Rose pushed material in the quarry for
about two hours. Once he had stockpiled enough material to keep
the plant running he drove the dozer down to the rock plant yard
to perform minor maintenance.. He lubricated the machine and
changed some of the cutting blades. He was then sent by his
supervisor, Donald Newsom, to the feeder area to operate the
980-B front-end loader so he could gain experience in its
operation.

At approximately 4:00 p.m., Wayne Elliott, loader operator,
stopped Rose at the feeder area so he could give him some
pointers on digging on an incline with the front-end loader. He
climbed into the operator's seat and drove the loader to the
stockpile while Rose sat in the doorway with his legs hanging out
over the edge of the deck. Elliott filled the bucket, reversed
the loader, and began to back in a semi-circle to the right.
The loader traveled about thirty feet before running
over something that jolted it. Elliott looked to the front of
the loader and saw Rose fall. He stopped the vehicle and
started to dismount to check on Rose. He could see that Rose was
under the left front wheel and he moved the loader forward.

Elliott secured the loader and went to administer first aid.
He performed CPR until the emergency crews arrived.

Rose was pronounced dead at the scene by the County Coroner. He
died from crushing injuries.

CONCLUSION

The cause of the accident was the lack of a provision for secure
travel while training was being conducted.

VIOLATIONS

Citation No. 3918001, 104(d)(1), Section 56.9200(d)

A trainee, riding unsecured on the outside of the operator's cab,
was thrown to the ground when the loader struck a boulder. The
trainee was run over by the vehicle. This citation was
terminated after the company revised it operator training
procedures. Training will no longer be conducted with trainees
outside the operator's cab.

Order No. 3918002, 104(d)(1), Section 56.14130(g)

The trainer/operator of a front-end loader involved in a fatal
accident was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the
occurrence. The citation was terminated following a safety
meeting in which the seat belt policy was reviewed with all
employees.